


Foolish Behavior

by Kelbrid



Category: Animorphs (TV), Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Didn't Know They Were Dating, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Humor, M/M, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-03 07:58:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5282963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelbrid/pseuds/Kelbrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's dating that isn't dating, but kind of is totally dating, maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mops/gifts).



I asked Marco about it as he laid on his stomach against the ground of my scoop, his legs slowly kicked back and forth. Before him was an open book on Earth biology that he used to place his paper on as he wrote.

“Yeah. I went there a few times as a little kid, the food’s pretty good.” He rubbed a sheet of paper with pink rubber tool called an eraser.

‹And would you say that you would consider going there again soon?›

“Huh? Oh, sure. Except for the fact that I can’t go anywhere until I get all this make-up homework done. Man, I really have _got_ to finish this.”

‹Of course. It would be fortunate if there were a way to make faster progress on your work.›

“You’re telling me.”

I was starting to doubt that he was paying much attention, perhaps. ‹Have I mentioned that I have been practicing on how to hold and write with a pencil?›

“Uh-huh. Hey you think Erek would do my homework for me?” Marco was clearly much more focused on erasing, only until the paper ripped half-way across the page. Groaning loudly, he crumpled the paper up and threw it behind him.

‹I could do it for you.›

“Say again?”

‹I will,› I considered a proposition that I hoped he would agree with. ‹If you are able to take me to this ‘Carmen’s’.›

Marco bit his lip, and after several thoughtful ‘hmm’s later, he finally said, “Okay, sure. I don’t see why not.”

* * *

The agreement that we had made yesterday was for me to help him with the homework that Marco had the most trouble with, which was Earth science and maths.

Writing with a piece of lead that is coated in wood is, however, very difficult but also oddly satisfying. Though it doesn’t seem to be made to be compatible for seven fingers, as I have to morph human to use this pencil, I do find myself enjoying it very much. Mistakes are often and hard to cover up, unlike on a computer. However, I find it fascinating and useful practice for when I hope to write my own book, about Earth and humans.

But for now, I must first write for Marco’s homework. It was about the hour for him to come back from school. Tobias, perched on a tree nearby, busied himself between scanning the forest floor and preening himself.

Math studies on Earth are, truthfully, child’s play. Except that this was incredibly simple even to a child’s standards, not to mention quite boring for someone of my own age as well. Obviously I would finish it quickly, there was no doubt about that.

‹Hey, Marco’s coming.›

The subject of Earth Science was, however, slightly difficult, filled with what I only hope to be trick questions. Obviously, other lifeforms exist besides those that are carbon-based, the question was clearly testing whether the student is paying attention. I often had trouble with questions like these in my own school. Still, I was not about to ask Marco for confirmation. He may think that I need his help.

‹Ax-man, y’know, whatever he’s conning you into or blackmailing you with this time, you seriously don’t have to go through with anything he says.›

“Hey, hey, whoa. I’m not doing anything like that at all, honest. I mean, look, he _wants_ to help me with—” Marco removed his bag full of books and paper from his shoulders and onto the floor, then quickly glanced over my shoulder, “Biology, of course. See? He loves it.”

‹Looks more like you’re just having him do all the work instead.›

At this point, I had only just realized that I was accidentally writing out their conversation instead. I tried to resume what I was previously writing on a new page and focus on the last remaining questions.

“What are you, his nanny? And anyway, how is this any different from you doing Rachel’s homework?”

‹That’s way different. First of all, I _help_ her, not do it for her. And secondly, I actually _know_ Earth biology. No offense, Ax.›

“Marco, I am almost finished with the last of this homework, wirr, kuh. Then we will go? Oh?” I asked eagerly.

‹Go?› Tobias’ head turned to me and tilted.

“Marco said that he cannot take me to a ‘very fancy’ food establishment unless his work is completed and he is free for the afternoon.” I could not help myself from smiling with my mouth. It was a strange compulsion but it would often happen when I thought about tastes that I have yet to experience.

Tobias then stared hard at Marco. Or perhaps he simply looked at Marco. It was hard to tell sometimes.

“Well, yeah, you know,” Marco ran a hand through his hair. His voice seemed almost tense, a pitch higher than it usually is. “It’d just be hilarious to watch him trash some snobby place over garnish.”

Tobias was doubtful, that I could tell, but he seemed to accept Marco’s response. ‹Hey, just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the paper.› When he was satisfied, he took off for his afternoon hunt.

Marco sighed and folded his arms in front of him, ambling over to me, “Yeah, we can get going soon, but I still have to write over what you wrote in pen,” He then clapped his hands onto my shoulders and grinned. “No offense Ax, but this chicken scratch looks nothing like my handwriting. I’m not even sure what it looks like, actually. These honestly _can’t_ be letters.”

I chose to ignore his comment.

* * *

I had come prepared with an arsenal of knowledge extracted from various human resources on TV for proper restaurant etiquette. Logically, the better behaved I am when it comes to arbitrary human eating standards, the less likely we will be banned from food service establishments.

First thing was first, I unfolded the cloth ‘napkin’ and tucked it into my shirt collar. This will prove to be easy, I thought.

We sat in a corner booth, side-by-side instead of opposite to each other. This way would make it a lot easier for Marco to correct me when my behavior falters, which it won’t. It was also a perfect opportunity to sample whatever food he would get as well, up until he notices. I sat at the end so as I could much more conveniently leave to demorph and remorph in private.

“‘Para niños’? Crayons? Oh for the love of...” Marco, who had yet to even touch his napkin, waved his hand high in the air and a human dressed in uniform quickly came by. “Hi, could I get a regular menu, please?”

The human smiled and apologized, taking away Marco’s hard paper and replacing it with different-looking hard paper, taken from a stack of them tucked under her arm, then she rushed to attend to other tables.

“Oh hey, look at you, Ax! Mister high class all of a sudden.”

A compliment from Marco was rare, but far from unappreciated. I sat up and held my head higher, gesturing at the napkin. “Of course. I am determined to prove, ooh, vuh, that I can effortlessly blend, end, in as a sophisticated human patron.”

“And he can be taught. Fine by me, I’d be in some big trouble if we actually got banned from _another_ place. Alright, let’s see what we got here.”

Marco reached for his menu but paused, he instead turned to me to give a stern look.

“Ax, I’m begging you, _pleading_ you,” He exaggerated as he did neither, wagging a finger at me instead, “To show some restraint. Pick one meal, _maybe_ one dessert too, and that’s it. This new allowance my dad’s giving me is great but it isn’t going to cover the whole menu.”

I huffed, but nodded. My eyes fell on the small packet of colorful crayons still sitting on the table in front of Marco. I reached out for it.

“And crayons aren’t edible.” Marco said, without looking up from his menu.

I took my hand back.

* * *

Picking only one choice for dinner and only one for dessert had proved to be a difficult and time consuming task. Marco had to wave the uniformed humans away twice due to my careful consideration. I finally picked each with my eyes closed. Excused myself to the single-stalled bathroom to demorph and remorph. Lost my napkin in the bathroom, then replaced it with two by accident but left it there. By then, both of our food was delivered.

Before I could grab one of my vegetable tamales with my hands, Marco quickly pulled the plate towards him, and more importantly _away_ from me. With interest but barely tempered impatience, I watched as he unwrapped the husks and cut the meal into smaller portions with a fork and a small, hand-held blade. With the fork, Marco took a small piece he had cut into a square and brought it to my mouth.

It took me a moment to realize what he was doing, but when I did I composed myself before leaning over and taking the bite. At last, the long-anticipated taste! The flavor was intense, delicious, much more complex than any of the food served in the mall food court. I did my best to fight down both the wide smile and the urge to yank the plate away from Marco, instead taking my time chewing, and swallowing. Marco pulled the fork slowly away from my mouth, watching me.

Finally, looking straight into my eyes with a look of caution, he gingerly pushed the plate back towards me. If I had not known better, I would say he had very little trust in my sense of self-control. I’d almost be offended if delicious food were not in front of me.

Our dinner conversations consisted mostly of an excited Marco explaining the details of his and Tobias’ collaborative work on their Star Trek ‘fanfic’, which led to Marco elaborating on what a fanfic is, what purpose it serves, and Star Trek. He almost forgot about dessert until it replaced our empty plates, one flan, mine, and one arroz con leche, Marco’s.

I pinched my fingers through a small section of the soft custard and watched the caramel slowly run down my hand and in between my knuckles. Briefly, I was truly captivated by the feel of the interesting texture that were present in this particular food before I even considered to put it in my mouth. But when I did, actually _tasting_ it was overwhelming, incredible and pleasant.

Had Marco tried this before? If he hadn’t, how would he react if he did? I pinched another, bigger section and offered to Marco, motioning my hand towards his mouth.

“Oh, Ax,” He seemed hesitant, uncertain? Eyes darting between me and the piece I held out to him. “Okay, okay,” Curiously swallowing nothing, he closed his eyes tightly.

Slowly, he leaned towards me, towards the food in between my fingers. My only heart raced as he brought his lips around the entire portion. I felt the heat of his breath, felt his teeth lightly graze against my fingers, felt his tongue as he took in the food. All while I felt my stomach flip, felt my heart flutter, felt my face heat up uncomfortably. Then, I felt the wet cold on my skin as he pulled away quickly, his long hair partially obscuring his face as he turned his attention down towards his bowl.

“Yeah, it’s—it’s really good.”

My own gaze switched from my hand, to Marco idly stirring his bowl with the cinnamon stick.

* * *

“You did good today, Ax, my man. You only ate maybe a quarter-inch of the napkin before stopping yourself.”

We walked to Marco’s house with both his arms wrapped around one of mine and my mind swimming.

“Kind of a disappointment that you didn’t ruin the place like the Cinnabon, but it was still pretty fun. We’d get in some serious trouble if that did happen anyway. Don’t want to be banned from one of the _good_ restaurants around here.”

I was too distracted by how nice this felt. I could feel Marco’s body heat through my arm where he was holding it, and his hair bounced and brushed against my upper arm with every step we took. Were we walking slower?

“Well, uh, anyway. This is me. Are you, uh, going to be OK going b—”

His voice was tuning out. I was much more focused on the fact that this sort of situation in particular was also a regular occurrence in the movies I’ve seen. A human would walk another human home after dinner, just like we had. They stand still in front of the entrance, staring at each other for an uncomfortably long moment, just like we were doing right at that moment. And then, finally, they kiss.

I wanted to try it.

I had wanted to try it for a long while. Admittedly, it was partly the basis for suggesting to Marco that we go out to dinner. Clearly, this concept that I had seen so often, the concept of kissing right there and right then, must have meant that it was something humans liked. But would Marco like it?

There was only one way to find out.

What would the human Cary Elwes in _The Princess Bride_ do?

“Marco!” I quite possibly yelled, he jumped and I leaned down to clap my hands on both of his shoulders, squeezing my eyes shut. “I am going, ing, to kiss you! Kuh! Iss!”

“Wha—?” I leaned down even farther to reach him, uncomfortably low and much too quickly. I nearly missed his mouth and came down much too hard. I felt like all I was accomplishing was crushing his face with my own.

The tenseness in his body made me fear even more that I had done this completely wrong. The humans in the movies usually did not ask, they somehow simply somehow _knew_. Should I have kissed him without announcement, like in movies? I was getting anxious the longer he didn’t respond, and finally I pulled away sheepishly, unable to bring myself to look back at him. My face had felt like it was burning, whether from the intimate contact or from the embarrassment that I may have failed my attempt and offended him. Maybe both of those things. It absolutely had to be both.

“Sorry. Ree.” As I was about to turn and try to make an escape, Marco caught my forearms.

“Wa—wait a sec! Um, look,” He said, but I continued to avoid eye contact. One of his thumbs lightly rubbed circles against my arm and I felt even more confused. 

“Why, I mean, what made you do that?”

“...Something, ing, that I have seen many times, imes, in those romance movies and TV shows of yours.”

I expected him to say something like, ‘Those aren’t _my_ movies!’ Almost wanting the distraction and to go back to all the trivial teasing we were much more used to. But instead, he waited for me to continue and I chanced to finally meet his eyes. Or rather, that general area.

“And I... I suppose, ohss, I have simply been curious to experience it, tuh, for myself.”

“Oh, is that it.” He sighed and his small frame visibly sagged. For a painful moment, I wondered if he was relieved. Marco removed a hand to ran it through his hair, tugging it slightly in doing so. “No—yeah, I mean, of course. That totally makes sense. None of the others are exactly available like I am, huh?”

No, that was wrong, that was not entirely it.

“And also I,” I once told my friends I would have no more secrets. Marco was no exception. “I wanted, ahn, ted, to kiss you. You, specifically. Lee.”

“What? Me? Serious?”

I nodded, slow, because for some reason very suddenly my voice decided not to work properly right then. Anxieties had started to fill my head as I watched him sit down hard on the second stair of his house. All I could do was simply stand around foolishly, unable to think of what to do or say.

“Huh.” Was all he said for awhile. What did humans even mean by that?

My distressful thinking continued to escalate. This impulsiveness could very well have ruined the way things are in a multitude of ways. I was definitely risking my friendship as it was with Marco over a flimsy whim. I could very well be risking our whole group dynamic. I could even be risking the entire fight against the war. I had not necessarily known _how_ , but I was sure I could imagine up a way if I thought hard and long enough.

“Okay, well,” He finally spoke, startling me out of my thoughts. “First off, just, maybe check with me before jumping right into something like that next time, alright? You didn’t even give me a chance to react or anything.”

I nodded again, a bit more vigorously, hoping to show I understood and would absolutely not do that again. I noticed Marco bit his lower lip. I noticed that I’d been noticing that a lot more lately.

“Um, actually, maybe we,” He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly. “Let’s... Could we do-over?”

I hoped this wasn’t a joke. 

“I, y-yes. Yes, um. I would like, kuh, that.”

“Okay. Yeah okay, then. I, I think I’d like that too.” Marco stood up on the step, reaching up to clap his hands down onto both of my shoulders in a tight grip, causing me to jump slightly at the sudden action.

His smile widened and his voice boomed, “I’m going to kiss you!” Even louder than I had before. Marco giggled and once more I could feel my mouth stretch without control. I think I might have been laughing too. I never anticipated that I would have such a reaction, this feeling of glowing relief.

Then again, I never before realized that I liked Marco so much. Nor had I ever entertained the thought that he could have even felt the same about me.

Marco straightened his back and stretched up with his toes, I craned my neck and leaned down.

Yes, this was much nicer. Marco’s mouth was very soft, something I hadn’t noticed earlier when I had simply slammed our faces together. His hands on my shoulders moved to link together behind my neck, tugging me down even further, so I kissed him harder in response. Marco made a soft noise of what I think was approval, and I decided there that kissing someone was infinitely better when the person in question was kissing you back.

Encouraged, I removed one of my hands from his waist. Lifted it and, singular human heart pounding, rested it to gently cup Marco’s face. I felt him smile against my mouth when I ran my thumb across his cheek.

But neither of us registered a click at the door.

“Marco, is that y—” We suddenly jerked away from each other at the sound, but it was too late. Marco’s father had seen us kissing, or if he hadn’t, he certainly saw our hands still on each other.

“Dad!” Marco shrieked.

“Yah!” I shrieked.

“Whoa s-sorry! Don’t mind me!” Marco’s father slammed the door quickly, causing us to jump again.

“Oh man.” Marco whined as he buried his deep red face into his hands. “I cannot _believe_ that just happened.”

“I-I apologize, ize.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, my dad’s cool.” He looked up towards me. One of his hands moved to rest on his hip, the other ran through his hair. “But, um, Ax?”

“Yes, Marco?”

“I uh, I had fun. We could, maybe... do this again? Sometime?”

“I did too. I... would not mind, ind, completing more of your homework, kuh, if it means more of days like this.”

“Yeah?” From one of his pockets, he took out and unfolded the paper I had helped him with yesterday, graded with an ‘F’ mark. For ‘Fantastic’, I’m told. His face broke into a wide smile again as he folded it back up. “Alright, yeah.”

“Is it a ‘date’, then?”

As Marco went to open the door, I noticed his father’s wide-eyed and grinning face duck away through the entry window. “It’s totally a date!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't necessarily need a chapter 2, but here it is anyway!

‹Marco, I think you might be over-thinking this.›

‹You know, coming from you, that’s slightly concerning.›

That would be me, Marco, who had made the mistake of talking to someone about a personal problem of mine. That someone was Tobias. Just so everyone’s clear, this is what a last resort looks like.

For anyone who isn’t in the know, here’s what happened. Ax was going to help me on my ever-growing pile of homework, hopefully so I could get some much needed R&R on the few days we _aren’t_ on a mission, for the cost of taking him out to a restaurant. My biology grade I got from that whole ordeal was lousy and it’s not even a hard class. In hindsight, I probably should have been checking his work before I mindlessly copied it.

But the math homework was spot on. Even did the extra credit. We could probably make this work.

Anyway, fast-forward to that night, Ax kissed me. On the mouth. _Twice._ Well, we both kissed each other that second time. Also, my dad saw us. Luckily, it was more embarrassing than anything bad.

After all that, Dad gave me a hug and said he’s really happy for me. The weirdest thing about this wasn’t my dad accidentally seeing us, or the incredibly awkward conversation we had afterwards. No, it was this comforting feeling I had over how normal it all was to talk about a crush with my dad, given how abnormal my entire life is right now. Of course, there’s a lot about Ax I had to omit, and the whole time I was confused if I should tell my dad that his name isn’t really ‘No’. Even so, it was nice to talk about this one thing to someone on the outside.

But my dad, trying his best to be supportive, smiled and said at the very end, “Sounds like something that would happen in a movie.” And knowing Ax, that realization had me worried, to say the very least.

So here I was, I decided to break the silence and get Tobias’ insider input, only to be frustratingly disappointed.

Tobias waited for the rest of us — ‘us’ being me, Jake, Rachel, and Cassie — after school was out to confirm a meeting later in the week for our next mission. Then we each went our separate ways with me and Tobias being left. I dropped my stuff off at home, told dad I’d be staying at Jake’s, and then we’d fly to Ax’s humble forest abode. I thought it could be an opportunity to figure where I stood, romantically, with our resident alien.

You see, my problem is that I may or may not be really dating an alien. The ‘may or may not’ part being the problem, the alien part is something that I’ll probably deal with later.

‹Okay, I’m not an expert on romance, but you went to the restaurant and then you kissed right? That sounds exactly like a date. Shouldn’t that alone make it official?›

‹Sure, that might be easy for you to figure out when it comes to someone as straight-forward like Xena. But how do you know he wasn’t just,› And I hated how stupid this sounded, but I was hoping for some sort of reassurance, ‹I don’t know, imitating Mari Jo or whatever?›

‹Wait, so does that make you Rick or Keemo?› He might have been asking sincerely, I wouldn’t have known. ‹Uh, look, I don’t really think I’m the right guy to talk about this with. Sorry, Marco.›

‹Okay, but you live with him, right? Aren’t you his shorm or something? Don’t you know if he’s been like, different or anything?›

‹I don’t know,› Tobias paused in thought. ‹He doesn’t seem any different to me. Sorry, but I have no idea. I mean, I can’t read his mind just because we’re shorms.›

‹Yeah, okay. I guess I’ll have to find out the hard way.› We banked toward the scoop and landed, Tobias in a nearby tree, and me on the ground to demorph. I had a change of clothes, a few VHS tapes, and a bag of junk food stashed in a tree hollow where Ax hopefully wouldn’t find it. Tobias’ idea.

‹Marco!› Bag in hand, I came up to the scoop to see Ax holding a 3 month old issue of _Seventeen_. ‹Marco, What is your ‘zodiac sign’?›

“Uh, gemini?”

‹Thank you.› Ax flipped through the magazine seriously. ‹Tobias, how would I calculate what my ‘zodiac sign’ is?›

‹Uh, sorry, Ax. I wouldn’t know, I think that’s mostly just an Earthling thing.›

It’s sometimes hard to tell with no mouth, but Ax seemed to frown. ‹Just as well, I suppose.› Then he looked to me and definitely smiled. ‹How was your school?›

Ax is just as strangely alluring as an Andalite as he was in his human morph. His soft blue fur caught pieces of the afternoon sun, filtered by the forest, outlined him and made him look almost ethereal. I had zoned out and almost forgot he had asked me something.

“Oh, school? It was, uh,” What was the word? Oh, right, “Fine.”

Valentines day at school was always a surprise. You’d think the cutest guy in school would be swimming in love letters and chocolates. This year’s haul was a grand total of two cards and one piece of chocolate. One card was from Cassie who always gave one to everyone in class — complete with a small chocolate heart taped to it — and the other card was obviously meant to be for a different Marco in school.

But did that discourage me in my romantic endeavors? Absolutely not, because I had a plan. One that will definitely sweep Ax off his feet, or hooves. We’re going to have a good, normal-ish, old-fashioned, just-the-two-of-us movie date.

‹Did you bring any food for movie night?›

Except for the fact that I couldn’t exactly tell him it was a date. It was really weird, something funny just kept happening to my voice every time I was about to tell him. I was about to try again for the third time when Tobias’ thought-speak cut me off.

‹Well guys, I’m off to help Rach with homework. See ya!› With that, Bird-boy the Ever Subtle took off.

* * *

“Alright Ax-man, I’m serious, save some candy for the movie.” I waved the VHS box of the new Disney movie _Hercules_ from Hollywood Video and popped it into Ax’s VCR.

The movie started with a narration and almost immediately went to song. I had nearly forgotten Ax hated most human music that isn’t in a commercial until I saw his face scrunch up, but he didn’t seem to complain. Or at least not about that.

“This movie, it is historically accurate? Yerr, ate?”

I nearly swallowed a sour gummy worm. “Huh?”

Ax continued with a concerned look. “This is a historical, ree-cull, retelling, correct? Then this does not make, kuh, any sense.”

“It’s a cartoon—”

“How are these larger humans controlling the weather without any aid of visible technological devices?”

“Ax.” I sighed.

“Yes, Marco?”

“Don’t worry about it. Eat your Twix.”

I swear I only looked away for a moment and somehow his mouth and cheeks were already covered with chocolate. Then I notice the completely different candy bag in his hands.

“Ax, Is that _my_ Sour Patch Kids that you have in your hands right now?”

“I do not have any kids,” I assumed he said, but it was hard to tell with his mouth full.

“No! Ax I bought _you_ the chocolate stuff and the sour stuff is _mine!_ ” He lifted the bag high above my reach, still chewing and swallowing probably half of the bag’s contents in his mouth. “Gross, you made a total mess. Hold still.”

I licked my thumb and Ax stiffened when my hand touched his cheek, my saliva-covered thumb started to wiped the mess of chocolate and sour sanding around his mouth. I could feel my own cheeks getting warm from the contact, but I tried to play it casual. But Ax looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

“What’s your problem?”

Ax lowered his arms and held the bag of gummies almost defensively in front of him. “I thought, ought, we were to ask, kuh, first.”

“Ask for what?”

“Before initiating, ting, ing, such affectionate, shun-ate, actions.”

“What, you mean this?” I laughed nervously and pulled my hand away, Ax’s face still not entirely cleaned. “A hand on the face isn’t really that big of a deal, Ax.”

“Ah, yes, of course, cour, suh. I suppose it is not, tuh, as much for humans.” Ax’s shoulders sagged lightly. “But it is different, en-tuh, for Andalites.” His fingers rubbed the bag, then finally reached in for the last few Sour Patch Kids in the bag. “I suppose it is a lot like a human kiss.”

“Oh.” I looked at my hand and wondered. I guess it made sense if they have no lips. “Sorry.”

The candy didn’t last long. All of the food was gone barely after the movie really started. Ax demorphed for the rest of it and sat all fours down so I readjusted my sitting spot right back next to him. I looked at my hand again as I remembered the night we kissed. I remembered the feeling of his hand against my cheek.

* * *

“Well Ax, uh,” The movie ended. The opportunity was right there. I could just say it and get it over with. Just say something like, ‘So about that kiss a week ago?’ Or even a classic, straight-forward approach like, ‘Do you like me?’ It’d be that simple.

‹Yes, Marco?› Ax looked directly at me with his incredible main eyes. A stunning, bright shade of green.

Ax was more than just strange. He was strangely beautiful, in his human morph _and_ as an Andalite. And it’s even stranger that this alien that came from who-knows-where was sitting here with me, watching some Disney movie.

What was I going to say again? I should think of something quick. He’s still staring at me.

“You need some Kleenex? You looked like you were about to cry like a baby when ‘Go The Distance’ played.” Absolutely nailed it.

Despite my awkwardness, he snorted in what I’ve learned was something like an Andalite laugh. I think.

“Okay so really, what did you think? Of the movie.” It was a question to buy me some time, but before I could muster up the guts to figure out what I _really_ wanted to say, Ax thought-spoke softly.

‹I am reluctant to admit, but I did find his resolve to find where he belonged to be admirable.› His stalk-eyes drooped slightly, almost unnoticeably. Almost. ‹He knew he was very different and could never truly fit in. He was not a human, yet he was also unable to return home.›

He sounded so sincere and vulnerable. I could tell that he could relate. Usually this kind of thing was incredibly uncomfortable, but listening to him talk like this, I don’t know. It felt nice. I wanted to get to know him.

“In the end, I guess he found a different purpose entirely, huh?”

He nodded, something he picked up from being around us. Suddenly, his back straightened and ears perked up. ‹Marco, I have something to show you!›

Ax got up and trotted outside the scoop, then returned with a small heart-shaped box. Upon opening it, he showed me a fully-stocked Valentine full of chocolate truffles. I was stunned that Ax would not just buy something so fancy, and to buy it for _me_ , but also that not one chocolate was out of place.

“Ax, it’s— I— You’re saying that’s _mine?_ ” He nodded again and I cautiously took the box, staring at it in complete disbelief. “Thanks, Ax.”

‹Tobias and I had bought them earlier while everyone was at school. I hope they are adequate to accept.›

“Yeah, no, it’s great! This is seriously awesome. But Ax, I gotta know.” I thumbed the edges of the box’s lid, staring at it and trying to think of how to just say this. “When you uh, k-kissed me, were you just, um, like copying what you saw on TV? Or uh, did you—did you really mean it?”

‹I suppose it is both.› My head shot up to look at him, my face probably a mixture of confused and incredulous. ‹I wanted to experience first-hand what it is like as a human. But I wanted to do that the most with you.›

“What—you did?”

‹Yes. Because I think I like you the most, Marco.› He just said so easily what I’d been struggling to even put into words. My face was hurting by how much I was grinning.

“Yeah? Really?” I rubbed the back of my head and looked down at my shoes. Which, by the way, were suddenly a very interesting sight for no reason. “I like you the most too, Ax.”

I don’t know how long we stayed like that, just smiling at each other in our own way and fidgeting, taking in the news that was probably not even really news at this point.

“So, um. You think you’re up for another one?”

‹Of course. Is it not still movie night?›

“Um, also, about that. I kind of, sorta, meant this to be a uh, movie date.”

‹As in a human date?›

“Yeah, a human date.” I laughed as I dug at the dirt with my, again, very interesting shoe. “I guess, anyway. I mean uh, believe it or not, as irresistible as everyone knows I am, I’m not um, exactly an expert on this.”

‹Marco, you do not need to worry, I have been studying humans and their various dating rituals through TV. I can teach you.›

“Gee, thanks, Ax. But how about for now, we just put in another movie.”

I put in _Romeo + Juliet_ and nestled back next to Ax. He had trouble understanding, saying something about how his chip wasn’t picking up what they meant or something, so I had to explain the meaning behind the Shakespearean dialogue throughout a lot of the movie. Most of it was self-explanatory and we watched with fascination, silent together. If this is what dates with people you like are, then I guess they weren’t so intimidating or boring like I thought. It felt like just... hanging out, but better.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ax lift his arms like he was stretching, then leave them up there like he forgot about them. It was lucky we decided to watch a VHS instead of going to the theater. I rolled my eyes, returning my focus back onto the screen. Before I knew it, I felt a weight against me that took awhile for me to register as a furry arm against my upper back, with tentative fingers slowly curled around my shoulders.

Risking a glance, I saw all of Ax’s eyes anywhere but me, main eyes blinking a lot. I took another risk and leaned against his side, then slinked my arm out and rested it onto the base of his back. His body was so warm and so soft. I could feel his fur ruffling up against my skin.

“Hey, Ax. Do you, uh,” I swallowed and could feel my heart pounding away. I waved my hand almost pathetically. “Think I can try again?”

‹Try what again?› This jerk knew what exactly I meant, for the record, I could tell just by the way those stalk-eyes of his looked at me. But then his eyes quickly looked away. ‹I... I think so, yes.›

That was all the encouragement I needed. I grinned at him and reached up to press my hand against the soft, short fur of his face.

Ax smiled back at me with his main eyes, with his fur fluffing up and ears drooping slightly at the contact. It was seriously too adorable. Then his smile faltered and I took my hand away.

“Something wrong?”

‹I suppose it must not have the desired effect on you if you are not also an Andalite.›

“Okay, well,” I said as I pushed myself to my feet to stand in front of him, still coming up a little short. “What if we compromise?”

I stood on my toes and he leaned his torso down to close the gap.

While Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes smiled at each other through the aquarium, I pressed my palm to Ax’s cheek and I brought my lips up to his face, just beneath his nose. Under my mouth and under his bristling fur, I could feel the intense warmth of his skin.

‹I think I do like that much more.›

I pulled away and tried not to think of how ridiculous my expression must have looked. “Yeah? I think I do too.” My expression probably turned even goofier when Ax leaned down to clumsily bump his face against my mouth again. “Oh, but Ax? Can you just, you know, close your eyes before kissing? As a human _and_ as an Andalite.”

‹Is it a requirement?›

“Well, no, but it’s seriously creepy when you’re looking right at me like that.”

‹I see. Then perhaps we should practice more.›

* * *

‹Ah, hello Tobias. Be careful when you fly in. Marco fell asleep.›

‹So he has. I hope he won’t get in trouble for spending the night. I take it things went well?›

‹Yes. He really enjoyed the box like you said he would. He even said that he liked me!›

‹Aw see, Ax-man, what’d I tell you? I’m happy for you, dude.›

‹Thank you. Also, Tobias, how long do humans sleep for?›

‹Oh, uh. Around eight hours, I guess. How long have you been like this?›

‹Three of yo—three hours so far. I do not know where the remote controls are. The screen has been static ever since the movie ended.›

‹That’s pretty cute, dude.›

‹I am no longer able to feel my legs.›


End file.
